One arrested as troops dismantle terrorists’ camp, rescue kidnap victims

The Nigerian Army says troops of 185 Battalion have dismantled a criminal hideout used by suspected terrorists in Anambra State, Nigeria’s south-east.

The army, in a statement posted on its Facebook page on Friday, said the troops also rescued three kidnap victims.

It said the victims were abducted around Osakwa General Area in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state, which prompted the troops to begin the rescue operation in collaboration with the Anambra Vigilante Group.

“On 1 October 2026, troops subsequently conducted a snap operation and arrested one of the suspected kidnappers, identified as Sunday Obi.

“During interrogation, the suspect provided information that led troops to the location of the syndicate’s camp at Abator in Ogbaru Local Government Area, across the Isieke waterside,” it stated.

The army said that the troops subsequently launched another operation at the identified location with canoes to cross the waterways and access the terrorists’ hideout.

“On reaching the area, troops engaged the terrorists with overwhelming firepower, forcing them to flee with gunshot wounds,” the army said.

According to the statement, AK-47 rifles with magazines, three pump-action guns, three locally fabricated Dane guns, 62 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition and 149 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition, together with two cartridges and materials, were recovered.

Others were items supporting the terrorists’ operational and logistical activities, including a solar generator, power bank, car battery, two motorcycle batteries, two solar panels and two mobile phones.

“The recovery further exposes the logistical infrastructure sustaining terrorist and kidnapping activities in the area and provides additional intelligence for ongoing efforts to dismantle the wider network,” the army said.

The statement further said the Nigerian Army, through Operation Udo Ka, will sustain “coordinated kinetic and intelligence-driven operations” to dismantle more terrorist enclaves and dislodge the criminals.

“Follow-up operations are underway to apprehend fleeing terrorists, their collaborators, logistics suppliers and other facilitators while troops continue to work with relevant security agencies and local stakeholders to strengthen security and safeguard communities,” it added.

Insecurity in South-east

For years, the South-east has witnessed deadly attacks by gunmen.

The attacks have often been linked to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

But IPOB has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.

The group has been agitating for an independent state of Biafra, which it wants carved out from South-east and some parts of South-south Nigeria.

READ ALSO: SSS arraigns four IPOB members allegedly linked to killing of operative

The separatist group was outlawed by Nigerian authorities in 2017 and designated a terrorist organisation, which it has unsuccessfully challenged at various courts in Nigeria.

Its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorism in November 2025 and has been serving the jail term at the Sokoto prison facility, although he has filed an appeal against his conviction and sentencing. 

Meanwhile, the Nigerian security operatives – mainly the police and the Nigerian Army – have been conducting various operations in the South-east to confront gunmen linked to IPOB.

But a recent PREMIUM TIMES report revealed that attacks and killings have reduced by 50 per cent in the South-east since the arrest and imprisonment of a controversial Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, in Finland in 2025.

Mr Ekpa, who leads a faction of IPOB called Autopilot, was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment in Finland in 2025 for terrorism related offences.